How to choose jewellery

If you don’t know what jewellery your loved one may like, you can try finding some inspiration by looking at the jewellery pieces he or she already has. Take note if the person ever mentions their preferred style or if they check out something when passing by a shop window. If the person likes elegance and prefers distinctive jewellery designs, you can safely choose something larger and more extravagant, with rich decor. But if the person is an athletic type with little patience for anything impractical, make sure to choose a simpler and more unobtrusive design. Generally speaking, you should buy silver or white gold for younger people and yellow gold for older.

When choosing jewellery, consider also the following factors:

• Skin tone: Pale/pinkish skin goes well with silver, platinum, and white or rose gold, while darker or more tanned skin is nicely accentuated by yellow gold, tin, brass, and copper.
• Hair colour: Black hair goes perfectly with jewellery decorated with garnet, topaz, amethyst and ruby; brown hair with sapphire or topaz; red with emerald, tanzanite and opal; and blond with aquamarine and olivine.

• Wardrobe: If the person wears muted colours (white, grey, black), then the jewellery shouldn’t be too extravagant to not clash with the overall ensemble; if the person prefers bright and colourful outfit, you can risk getting them bolder jewellery with an unorthodox shape and decoration.

• Occasion: Jewellery in general is a perfect gift for any occasion, but the selection must match the occasion.

TIP: Do you have your jewels stored all over the place? Get a gift case or a jewellery box to keep your things organised.

Since jewellery is in constant contact with various chemicals (in the air, sweat, perfume, and other products), it requires regular cleaning.  When jewellery starts losing its lustre, soak it in warm water with soap or detergent and gently clean it with an old toothbrush or a similar tool. Dry it after cleaning, preferably with a hairdryer, and polish with a flannel cloth. If you wear your jewellery every day, make sure to clean it at least once a month.

There are also advanced cleaning methods, which provide better and more consistent results. These treatments include special jewel baths and ultrasonic cleaning devices. Another option is rhodium surface coating.

To avoid damaging your jewellery, follow the rules listed below:

• Always remove your jewellery before entering a dusty environment, bathing, washing dishes, gardening, and cooking
• Store your jewels somewhere dry every night, preferably in a jewellery box

• Never expose jewellery encrusted with precious stones to hot water – the gems may crack!

A hallmark is an official mark that guarantees the purity of a metal according to official state fineness standards. For example, the fineness mark of 585/1000 tell us that the 14-carat gold alloy contains 585 parts pure gold and 415 parts other metals. Gold jewellery weighing more than 0.5 g and silver jewellery weighing more than 3 g must bear the official state fineness mark and the sponsor’s mark.